Is this partially because back in the day, Nikon brainwashed its customers into thinking DX was good enough for general photography? Before I purchased my first (D)SLR in 2003, my research (reading stuff and opinions on the internet) found two divergent viewpoints on sensor size from the Canon and Nikon companies and their users. Canon already had the only FF camera on the market with indications that an affordable version would be forthcoming (which came 2 years later) while the general opinion here was that Nikon would not be offering FX and the general concensus "who needed FF anyway". I decided on Canon because I wanted to eventually be shooting with a camera with the original 35mm format (for some of the very reasons you state here and more) and there was little hope in 2003 of Nikon going to FF in their DSLRs (when Nikon and its users caved 4-5 years later).